Tackling TV "Nesting" Fees and Complex Operations: Initial Success, but Can TV's Influence Return to Its Peak?

Tackling TV "Nesting" Fees and Complex Operations: Initial Success, but Can TV's Influence Return to Its Peak?The so-called "nesting" fees refer to the practice of charging membership fees for TV programming while also levying additional fees for individual programs, sometimes resulting in multiple levels of fees. Beyond these repetitive charges, users have expressed dissatisfaction with issues like difficulty obtaining refunds for accidental purchases, the length of inserted advertisements being directly tied to fees, long boot-up ads, and the availability of "advanced" viewing options that require additional payment

Tackling TV "Nesting" Fees and Complex Operations: Initial Success, but Can TV's Influence Return to Its Peak?

The issues of "nesting" fees and complex operations on television have long plagued viewers, particularly causing frustration for the elderly. However, through concentrated efforts by relevant departments, progress has been made, achieving a milestone in the fight against these problems. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television recently announced that traditional TV set-top boxes will be gradually phased out, integrating their functionality into televisions and exploring the use of USB drives to provide set-top box features. So how effective are these measures? Can TV's waning influence return to its former peak?

"Nesting" Fees Curbed

The so-called "nesting" fees refer to the practice of charging membership fees for TV programming while also levying additional fees for individual programs, sometimes resulting in multiple levels of fees. Beyond these repetitive charges, users have expressed dissatisfaction with issues like difficulty obtaining refunds for accidental purchases, the length of inserted advertisements being directly tied to fees, long boot-up ads, and the availability of "advanced" viewing options that require additional payment.

Responding to these concerns, relevant departments launched a concentrated campaign to counter these practices last year. They addressed issues such as opaque fee mechanisms, complex billing systems, and an excessive number of fee packages through a series of measures. Some extraneous fees were eliminated, large fee packages and service offerings were reduced, and advertising durations were further shortened, gradually separating fees from advertising.

According to governance data, by the end of last year, the number of cable TV fee packages had been reduced by over 50%, with some specific items seeing a reduction of over 70%. IPTV and internet TV services saw respective decreases of 79% and 55%. Billing practices are now more transparent, with clear labels indicating the content associated with each fee to prevent accidental purchases by users.

Complex Operations Mitigated

The complexity of TV operations has been another headache for users. Multiple remote controls, intricate interfaces, and difficult-to-understand processes have deterred viewers.

Governance measures initially targeted the issue of multiple, incompatible remotes by promoting a solution where one remote controls all devices. Standardized regulations are being gradually implemented, and the development of universal remotes is ongoing.

Furthermore, the measures focused on simplifying TV interfaces, reducing steps, and lowering the difficulty of operation. Booting up is no longer a complex navigation process; users can now directly access TV programs. Streamlined processes and shorter advertising durations have effectively minimized the problem of complex operations.

User Numbers and Viewership Rebound

The effectiveness of the measures is evident. In the final two months of last year, cable TV and IPTV user numbers increased by 784,700 and 4,291,300 respectively. Overall TV viewership has shown an upward trend with sustained growth in viewership activity, achieving a cumulative increase of 13.6%. This indicates that viewers are more willing to watch television when operations are simplified and billing is clearer.

Set-Top Boxes on the Verge of Elimination, Integration Becoming the Norm

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has announced that TV set-top boxes will be completely eliminated in the future, with the functionality for accessing TV signals integrated into televisions themselves, further simplifying operation. This plan is currently under development and implementation, involving various stages, including the establishment of protocols and standards, the exploration of suitable products, mass production, and widespread adoption.

In addition to built-in set-top boxes, the use of USB drives to provide set-top box functionality will be explored, further simplifying functionality and returning television to its original purpose and model.

Establishing Long-Term Mechanisms to Prevent Backsliding

To prevent the resurgence of these issues, relevant departments are revising existing regulations, perfecting a systemic oversight framework, and implementing technological measures for real-time monitoring and spot checks to ensure that these problems do not resurface.

Declining TV Sales, Rise of Large-Screen Televisions

Despite the resolution of TV operation and billing issues, television sales have been steadily declining in recent years. Sales dipped below 40 million units in 2023, and data for this year indicates that the downward trend continues.

However, sales of large-screen televisions are bucking the trend. Sales of TVs 65 inches and larger continue to grow, with 65- and 75-inch models accounting for the highest proportion of sales. Data for this year shows that sales of 75-inch televisions have surpassed those of 65-inch models, signifying a new consumer trend.

Intense Competition from Mobile Screens, TV Influence Wanes

The widespread adoption of smartphones has shifted many television viewers to mobile screens. Surveys indicate that in households without elderly members, televisions might go months without being turned on.

Even in households with elderly individuals, seniors are gradually learning to use smartphones, devoting more time to their mobile devices and naturally spending less time watching television. Many families have televisions running in the background while everyone is glued to their phones.

Television's influence is gradually fading, with the once-common scene of families gathered around the television becoming a rarity.

Content Innovation is Key: How to Attract Viewers?

While television maintains influence in areas like live broadcasts of major events and breaking news, content needs to be innovated and transformed to prevent further erosion of influence by mobile screens. This requires, above all, elevating content quality and offering a diverse range of programs to attract more viewers.

Conclusion

The effort to tackle "nesting" fees and complex television operations is essentially an attempt to rescue television's influence. Improvements in hardware have enhanced user experience, leading to a rise in viewership. But true resurgence requires innovation and transformation in content. How to bring about fresh ideas and ignite the curiosity and interest of young people is the key to television's potential return to its peak.

Sources:

• "State Administration of Radio, Film and Television: Actively Promote Telecommunication Operators and Television Manufacturers to Integrate Set-Top Box Functionality into Televisions," Chengdu Business Daily, September 27, 2024

• "Governance of Television 'Nesting' Fees and Complex Operations: Summary of Stage-Wise Progress and Deployment of Advancements Held in Beijing," State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, January 23, 2024

• "Offline Television Market Sales Revenue Declines by 2.5% Year-on-Year in August, 75-Inch Screen Share Increases," Baixing Home Appliances Network, September 18, 2024

• "Survey Finds Over Half of Seniors Aged 65 to 69 Use Smartphones," Xinhua News Agency, February 14, 2023

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